halsted



2- sheets -sheet 1.

(No Model'.)

' A. M. HALSTED.

INCUBATOR.

Patented May 23, 1882 Waw UNITED STATES i ATENT FFlCE.

AUGUSTUS M. HALSTED, OF RYE, NEW YORK.

INICUBATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 258,295, dated May 23, 1882.

- Application filed March 11, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern .has arisen in obtaining uniformity of temperature. Heated Water has been employed in vessels and pipes, and the lamp has usually been located at one side of the incubator.

My present invention has for its object the equalizing of the heat, the perfect circulation of warm air through the apparatus, the convenient turning of the eggs from time to time, the economy in the fuel employed to warm the apparatus, and the saving of space into which the apparatus can be packed for transportation.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical 1011- gitudinal section, and Fig. 2 is a central transverse section at the line mm, Fig. 1, of the incubator, with the exception of the lamp. Fig. 3 is a plan in larger size of the corners of the egg-holding tray. Fig. 4 is a section of one portion of the tray and an elevation of the corner, both in larger size; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the air-box and heating-drum.

The incubator is made with an outer case, a, and an inner case, b, between which the spaces b are preferably dead-air spaces; but they might be filled with non'conducting material. When the spaces between the outer and inner cases are filled with non-conducting material the ventilatingopenings are to be provided with pipes passing through the non-conducting material for the air to escape. The legs 0 are made to support the incubator, and inorder to allow for packing the apparatus for transportation in a small compass the legs are removable, the upper ends passing into socket-loops 2 at the corners of the case. It is preferable to make the upper end of the leg with a shoulder, upon which the bottom of the incubator rests, and to allow the half-cylindrical upper end of the leg to enter the socket 2. There is an outer door or flap, d, hinged at the bottom edge and secured by buttons 1 at the upper edge, and an inner door, 6, similarly hinged, and this door is providedwith' windows, through which the contents of the incubator may be examined,

the chimney is introduced into its place.

and the thermometers also observed, without opening this inner door, e.

Across the lower part of the incubator-case there are two partitions, 4, that form the sides of a vertical air-flue, and these terminate at their bottom edges in grooves, into which pass the edges of the air-trough f, that is made of sheet metal, and this trough, together with the parts connected to it, can be slipped endwise into the grooves, so as to connect the air'trough f firmly to the incubator-box, and it may be removed therefrom, so that the parts may be packed in a small com pass; and I remark that in transportation the air-box, lamp, and parts therewith connected can be placed within one chamber of the incubator, so as not to require any special case or box for holding them.

Below the air-troughf there is an air-box,g, with legs 5 at its lower end, to which legs the reservoir h of the lamp is attached. This may be effected by upward flanges upon the reservoir passing inside of the legs, and having spring-bolts or catches passing through holes in both the legs and the flanges to connect the parts together.

The lamp-burner has upon the outside of the wick-tube a sliding sleeve, i, to regulate the flame. This is similar to that shown in my Patent No. 236,886, and a reference is made to the same for a fuller description thereof, and also of the thermostatic regulator hereinafter referred to.

'Upon the lamp-chimney 7r, 1 place a ring, 6, of sheet metal, and there is adiaphragm, 7, of

sheet metal, that has a central hole of larger size'than the chimney. This diaphragm 7 is within the vertical portion- Z of the heatingdrum, and is lifted by the chimney-ring 6 when This ring and diaphragm make a sufficiently tight connection between the lamp-chimney and the heating-drum to prevent external currents of air interfering with the lamp. There is a horizontal heating-drum, 012, into which the vertical portion Z opens, and this drum m is open at the ends for the escape of the products of combustion, so that no smoke or gases enter the incubator.

It is preferable to employ gauze caps a at the ends of the drum to prevent external currents of air passing into the drum. These cape a should be provided with rims or flanges, so as to be movable for cleaning.

Theheating-drum lm is within theair-trough fand air-box g; hence atmosphere passing in at the bottom of the box 1 rises up and passes in contact with the heated drum, and becomes sufficiently heated to impart the required heat to the incubator. The air passes up inside of g and around the drum 1, thenceinto the trough f, below and around the drum m, and thence it ascends into the incubating-chamber. The door in the side of the box 9 gives access to the lamp and chimney.

There is a deflector, 1, over the heatingdrum m, that prevents the air passing vertically from the box 9, and causes such air to move horizontally and in contact with the portion at of the drum, thereby preventing the more highly heated air adjacent to the lamp passing directly up into the incubator-chamber and causing the air-currents to conimingle and enter said chambers near the front and back thereof; and in order to insure a greater circulation of heated air near the trout and back of the incubator instead of the middle portion, I make use of the partitions q and deflector r, the upper edges of the partitions 1 being nearer to the deflector r in the middle than theyare toward the ends ot'the partitions, as seen in Fig. 2, so that there will be more air passing over the plates or partitions q toward the ends than there is toward the middle of the incubator-chamber, thus equalizing the effect is still further promoted by the holes at being placed near the front and back portions of the inner case, as seen in Fig. 2 by dotted lines.

The sliding perforated plate 16, applied below a row of holes at the top of the case a, acts as-a register to regulate the escape of air from the incubating-chamber. In preparing this incubator for use it is necessary to have these registers suftieiently open to insure a free circulationofairthroughouttheapparatus. These registers will seldom require to be moved after they are once adjusted, and they are especially useful in so regulating the passage of the currents of warm air through the apparatus that all portions of the incubating-chamber will be of uniform temperature.

By experience it has been discovered that it is advantageous to keep the eggs from becoming too much heated on the under side. With this object in view I provide water-pans a in the bottom of the incubator-chambers, and place the egg-trays above these pans, so that the moisture arising from the evaporation will pass up through the trays and between the eggs, and also keep the under side of the eggs the coolest.

To moisten the air in the chamber above the eggs I apply the evaporating-trough r in the vertical air-flue between the partitions g. This evaporating-trough is prismatic in shape, so as to deflect the air equally at each side, and it is hung by hooks 21 upon horizontal rods 22, so that it may be moved endwise for replenishing the water when the doors d and e are open.

The eggs require turning, and to move them from time to time various devices have been employed; but they are not adapted to properly support the young chickens when they come out. Hence it often happens that the chickens become injured.

This portion of my invention relates to an egg-holding tray formed of a rim or frame, 8, with a bottom of wire-netting, l7, and wires 11 near the top of the tray, which wires are at a sufficient distance apart to allow the eggs to be placed between them and rest upon the netting 17. I, however, place above the netting a web of muslin or similar material, of a width corresponding to the tray, of a greater length than the tray, and the ends are fast ened to the rollers 19 and 20, res ')eetively,'and there are crank-handles at the ends of the axisof the rollers, where they project through the sides of the tray, so that the web may be moved endwise, and in so doing it is drawn along beneath the eggs that rest upon it. As the eggs are kept in a definite position by the wires, they are turned or partially rotated from time to time by the attendant partially revolving one of the rollers. This egg holding and turning tray is of great utility, because the web forms a support for the eggs, and for the chickens when they come out, and there is opportunity for moisture to pass up through the web to the eggs, and the whole of the eggs in one tray are turned instantly by moving one of the rollers and winding the web either in one direction or the other.

The thermostatic regulator is similar to that in my aforesaid patent. The thermostat ois secured and adjusted by the screws 25 at one end, and the other end acts upon the rocking or escapement lever 0,and in this escapement 0 is an opening, through which is allowed to pass the finger at the end of one of the arms, 11, of the reel 8, and on this reel the cord 12 is wound,-and passes over the pulley 13, under the pulley on the weight 14, and up again to an eye or hook, r By this means the reel and arms are'turned a half-revolution each change of temperature above and below the standard, and in so doing the sleeve 6, forming the flame-regulator, is either raised by the crank 9 and link 10 to lessen the flame or iowered to increase theflame, as in aforesaid patent.

In place of muslin to form the web, it may be of fine wire-cloth or any fibrous substance; and I remark that two rollers are preferable, because the web can be drawn in first one way and then the other; but a single roller might be used, there being sufficient length of web turned in beneath the perforated bottom for the required turning movements to be given to the eggs.

If desired, a web or endless apron may be employed, the same passing around the two IIO rollers, above and below the wire-netting, at the bottom of the tray.

I am aware that rollers have been used on which the eggs rest, and which rollers are connected, so as to be revolved by tapes or belts; but such tapes or belts did not support the eggs. In my improvement'the eggs rest directly upon the piece of muslin or other material and between the wires, so that they are turned by simply drawing such web along by any means. Fig. 6 represents such egg-tray with the eggs resting on the web and the ends of the web loose, so that the same may be drawn along.

I claim as my invention- 1. In an incubating apparatus,the combination, with the chamber containing the eggtray, of a lamp below the bottom of the chamher, the heating-drum and chimney, also below the egg-chamber, and connected so that the gases escape laterally at the ends of the drum, an air-chamber below the egg-chamber, around the chimney and drum, into which air is admitted and warmed before passing into the egg-chamber, and an opening for the escape of the heating-air from the egg-chamber, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with theincubating-chamher, the lamp, the heating-drum, and the airtrough, the deflector 1 partially covering the air-trough and directing the air horizontally toward the front and back portions of the incubator-chamber, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the incubatorchamber and the lamp and heating-drum, of

4. The evaporating-trough r, in combination with the partitions q, deflector r, and incubating-chamber, substantially as set forth.

5. In an incubator, the combination, with the lamp-chimney and heating-drum, of the diaphragm 7 and ring 6, as and forthepi rposes set forth.

6. In an egg-holding tray, the combination, with the wires or cross-bars, of a Web of muslin or similar material on which the eggs rest, and which is movable, so as to turn the eggs, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, in an egg holding and turning tray, of cross wires or bars, a web, and a roller upon which the web may be Wound, substantially as set forth.

8. The tray having cross wires or bars and I a bottom of netting or open-work, a web of muslin or equivalent material, and two rollers with which the ends of the web are connected, as set forth.

9. In combination with theincubating-chamher, a lamp, heating-drum, and air-box, connected below the chamber and made removable, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 8th day of March, A. D.

A. M. HALSTED. Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINOKNEY, CHAS. H. SMITH. 

